Modern electronic developments have made it possible to provide economically the computing power required in devices intended either to make the calculations and assessments associated with sophisticated board games such as backgammon or chess, or to provide an electronic opponent for a human player of the game. Naturally some form of interface has to be provided between the device and the human user or player, and in commercial devices would desirably take the form of some type of simulation of the board of the game being played. Particularly in a calculating device, it would be desirable for data entry keys to be positioned on this board simulation at points related to the data being entered, e.g., on a backgammon board, entries relating to specific points should be entered through keys on or adjacent those points.
Unfortunately, this would hitherto have required the use of a specially designed keyboard in order to provide the desired key locations, and such a keyboard is not economically feasible unless manufactured in very large quantities, far greater than are required for the unit cost of the necessary electronic components to fall to an economically acceptable level. For this reason devices of the kind under discussion utilize a separate keyboard of more or less conventional design in conjunction with a video or illuminated display indicating the data entered.
An object of the present invention is to provide a game board simulator with provision for key entry of game data at appropriate points on the board, which utilizes readily available non-specialized keyboard components.
A further object of the invention is to provide a backgammon calculator with provision for entry of data concerning the men at appropriate locations on a simulated board which nevertheless is based upon the use of readily available mass-produced components.